MIRAMICHI @ SUMMERSIDE - GAME 5 - TUE. APRIL 30
Apr 29, 2024 10:59:12 GMT -4
Post by JPA on Apr 29, 2024 10:59:12 GMT -4
With it possibly being the final MHL game this season, thought I'd open the game thread a bit early.
For me - there are a lot of question marks heading into the game.
Who will start for the Caps? I would guess it will be Sim, but in all honesty, he hasn't looked like the same goalie he was in his first MHL games when he was quick to his feet. The Timberwolves game plan seems to be to get him off his feet and then throw everything at the net high. I don't see any visible signs of injury in his movement - but more in his lack of movement. It's almost like he gets mad at himself for allowing goals that he would normally stop. I could be reading into that - but a team with a strong defence and a top goalie shouldn't be needing to score 5 or 6 goals to win games in the playoffs.
Of course - officiating is also going to be on a lot of peoples' minds. Over the past five periods in the games in Summerside, the Timberwolves have been handed ten minors to the Western Capitals two. Included in that were five minors in a row to the Timberwolves in Game 1. I mean, it's hard enough to beat the Caps at home without handing the Caps ten PP opportunities while only getting two of your own. Some of those calls were on the low end of the scale. Hopefully - they assign two of the best PEI officials - and nobody doing their first MHL playoff games.
Staying out of the box is a must for both teams - and the Timberwolves can't go down 2-0 after the 1st on a couple of careless tugs behind the play. The PEI officials seem to call everything the way they do in minor hockey. I'm sure that some will argue that the calls have all been valid and the Timberwolves should have been handed even more - but when there is that much discrepancy and you've seen the iffy calls with your own eyes - let's hope for the best in a game of this importance.
If the Caps fall behind - will they be able to hold their composure - or will they get ugly and run into penalty trouble of their own? It looked like it was going to happen last game again - before the Caps came back to tie it up at 3-3.
The Timberwolves will need to cut back on their mistakes. Those blind behind the back clearing efforts in front of their own net landing on the stick of a Caps' player need to be eliminated. Ice the puck repeatedly off the glass if you need to - but turning over the puck right in front of your own net is a no-no.
Not being sucked into coincidental minors needs to be avoided by the Timberwolves. The Caps own the puck in 4 on 4 situations. This was an old Edmonton Oilers ploy back in the Gretzky days - and its better to just take a punch in the chops and skate away. Discipline is often the difference between winning and losing. I know its tough for players like Doucet to skate away - but if it means a league championship - its a lot easier to do. You can almost bet the Caps will be looking to initiate those situations - and the lesser experienced officials will be all too happy to accommodate.
With such a short turnaround time from Game 4 - will fatigue become a factor? It isn't only that the Caps have been going with two lines for the most part - it's that Rutledge and Eastman in particular have been playing every second shift - and longer shifts. It's been amazing to see them go off after a long shift - get a quick breather - and then be right back out there again - and again - and again.
At some point - it's going to drain them. They should be good for two periods plus - but if it becomes a one goal game in the 3rd - they could be running on fumes. It usually doesn't detract offensively - but where it costs is in the backcheck. When the forwards don't come back hard - the Caps' defence can be exposed for being a bit slow of foot with the Timberwolves forwards winning the puck battles down low. On the flip side - when the Caps forwards come back hard - they can transition pretty quickly. Adrenaline and momentum can put wings on your skates - but if a team is trailing - cheating offensively becomes more and more necessary. If the Timberwolves can get up by a goal or two heading into the 3rd - it could become something to take advantage of.
An outside question that I don't mean in a bad way but needs to be asked is - if the Caps lose - could this be Billy McGuigan's final game behind the Caps' bench? I mean - the Caps came into the playoffs loaded for bear - ranked top ten in the CJHL - and looking like a team that could go undefeated in the playoffs and be a serious threat at the Centennial Cup. They are far from done - and I think it will go back to Miramichi where the Timberwolves will need to wrap it up or probably lose a Game 7 - but still - with the series at 3 games to 1 - the Caps went all in. If they fall short of a league championship - you really need to wonder if they might look to go in a different direction.
It should be a huge audience for Game 5 - sold out - a lot following on Flo - and live on Eastlink TV.
Correction: The game will not be available on Eastlink.
Hopefully the officials let the players decide the outcome.
For me - there are a lot of question marks heading into the game.
Who will start for the Caps? I would guess it will be Sim, but in all honesty, he hasn't looked like the same goalie he was in his first MHL games when he was quick to his feet. The Timberwolves game plan seems to be to get him off his feet and then throw everything at the net high. I don't see any visible signs of injury in his movement - but more in his lack of movement. It's almost like he gets mad at himself for allowing goals that he would normally stop. I could be reading into that - but a team with a strong defence and a top goalie shouldn't be needing to score 5 or 6 goals to win games in the playoffs.
Of course - officiating is also going to be on a lot of peoples' minds. Over the past five periods in the games in Summerside, the Timberwolves have been handed ten minors to the Western Capitals two. Included in that were five minors in a row to the Timberwolves in Game 1. I mean, it's hard enough to beat the Caps at home without handing the Caps ten PP opportunities while only getting two of your own. Some of those calls were on the low end of the scale. Hopefully - they assign two of the best PEI officials - and nobody doing their first MHL playoff games.
Staying out of the box is a must for both teams - and the Timberwolves can't go down 2-0 after the 1st on a couple of careless tugs behind the play. The PEI officials seem to call everything the way they do in minor hockey. I'm sure that some will argue that the calls have all been valid and the Timberwolves should have been handed even more - but when there is that much discrepancy and you've seen the iffy calls with your own eyes - let's hope for the best in a game of this importance.
If the Caps fall behind - will they be able to hold their composure - or will they get ugly and run into penalty trouble of their own? It looked like it was going to happen last game again - before the Caps came back to tie it up at 3-3.
The Timberwolves will need to cut back on their mistakes. Those blind behind the back clearing efforts in front of their own net landing on the stick of a Caps' player need to be eliminated. Ice the puck repeatedly off the glass if you need to - but turning over the puck right in front of your own net is a no-no.
Not being sucked into coincidental minors needs to be avoided by the Timberwolves. The Caps own the puck in 4 on 4 situations. This was an old Edmonton Oilers ploy back in the Gretzky days - and its better to just take a punch in the chops and skate away. Discipline is often the difference between winning and losing. I know its tough for players like Doucet to skate away - but if it means a league championship - its a lot easier to do. You can almost bet the Caps will be looking to initiate those situations - and the lesser experienced officials will be all too happy to accommodate.
With such a short turnaround time from Game 4 - will fatigue become a factor? It isn't only that the Caps have been going with two lines for the most part - it's that Rutledge and Eastman in particular have been playing every second shift - and longer shifts. It's been amazing to see them go off after a long shift - get a quick breather - and then be right back out there again - and again - and again.
At some point - it's going to drain them. They should be good for two periods plus - but if it becomes a one goal game in the 3rd - they could be running on fumes. It usually doesn't detract offensively - but where it costs is in the backcheck. When the forwards don't come back hard - the Caps' defence can be exposed for being a bit slow of foot with the Timberwolves forwards winning the puck battles down low. On the flip side - when the Caps forwards come back hard - they can transition pretty quickly. Adrenaline and momentum can put wings on your skates - but if a team is trailing - cheating offensively becomes more and more necessary. If the Timberwolves can get up by a goal or two heading into the 3rd - it could become something to take advantage of.
An outside question that I don't mean in a bad way but needs to be asked is - if the Caps lose - could this be Billy McGuigan's final game behind the Caps' bench? I mean - the Caps came into the playoffs loaded for bear - ranked top ten in the CJHL - and looking like a team that could go undefeated in the playoffs and be a serious threat at the Centennial Cup. They are far from done - and I think it will go back to Miramichi where the Timberwolves will need to wrap it up or probably lose a Game 7 - but still - with the series at 3 games to 1 - the Caps went all in. If they fall short of a league championship - you really need to wonder if they might look to go in a different direction.
It should be a huge audience for Game 5 - sold out - a lot following on Flo - and live on Eastlink TV.
Correction: The game will not be available on Eastlink.
Hopefully the officials let the players decide the outcome.